Can this be true? Mazda's web site says that the turning "cyle" (??) curb to curb, for the 8 is only 17.4 ft. While the Infiniti/Nissan sites say that the G35/350Z turning "diameter" (curb to curb) is over 37/35 ft.!

How can this be? All have 18 wheels. There must be an awful lot of space in the front wheel wells on the 8 to give the wheels that much room to turn. I know the Z only has a wheelbase of 104" and the G35 has 112". The 8 has a 106" wheelbase. So you would think that the Z should be able to turn in a smaller circle.

Now granted Mazda's site calls it a turning "cyle" and Infiniti calls it a turning "diameter," but both claim "curb to curb." So it can't be that Mazda's 17.4 ft. turning "cyle" refers to the radius, can it? Even if it is, a 3 ft. smaller turning diameter is still significant. But a 20 ft. smaller diameter is earth shaking!

I am absolutely thrilled! I love to be able to throw a quick "u-ee" in the middle of the street.

 

Must be the radius...

Since the car is 14.5 ft long even if the wheels turned 90 degrees it would take well more than 17 or 18 feet to swing it around!

BTW, what the heck is a "cyle"?

 

I think Mazda is talking about turning RADIUS when they say turning "cycle". A 17ft turning radius would give the car a 34ft turning diameter, which is comparable to the Z and G35.

 

We can make the RX-8 turn much sharper than a G35 or 330i or most any other car. Why; because the RX-8 has RWD and LSD. How; crank the wheel over and stomp on the gas. I call it a Mario Andretti turn :D .

 

Now you're talking! :D I'm looking forward (no pun intended) to drving my first rear-wheel drive car.

 

jbebernes:
No, if the front wheels turned 90 degrees, which is perpendicular to the car, the back wheels would be pushing forward and tearing the hell out of the front tires, the car would probably never turn all the way around. (Like a shopping cart with a bad wheel.)

If someone pushed the front of the car to the side, however, the turning diameter would only be the length of the car and one back tire would stay planted.

-i think, but who cares it's obviously impossible, but I have seen old Honda preludes who's back tires would turn out opposite to the front wheels at low speeds to reduce turning radius and would turn with the front wheels at high speeds to change lanes easier.

-I have seen monster trucks that do the same.

I guess if the back tires did this it would be possible. Can anyone help me out here?

 

i freind of mine way back in like 1987 or 1988 had himself a brand new prelude with 4 wheel steering. it was weird being in the back seat when he turned it at a light or into a parking space. it felt like the back end had broken loose and you were about to do a doughnut. :D but damn that thing could park and it was great on the twisties as well. i think dodge or ford has 4 wheel steering on one of the full sized pickups now ( i've seen the commercials) and i think its a great application putting it on those trucks, making it easier to get around in parking lots and such.

edit: honda dropped the 4ws from the prelude (which i think was the only production car to have it) sometime in the mid-nineties.

 

I had one of those Preludes with 4WS in Singapore about 10 years ago. Really nice car with flip up headlights - first Japanese car I ever owned. Remember doing 180km/h all the way up to KL every other week and never getting caught by the cops...

 

It's a GM Truck option. Honda had a great idea, just the wrong application.

 

Far from the only production car to have 4ws...maybe honda's only production car with it??? But the Nissan 300ZXTT also had 4ws and I *think* the Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4 had it as well. Not quite so sure about the Mitsu....

 

The "4" in VR4 stands for 4 wheel drive, I thought. Are you sure about the 300zxTT?

 

Quite sure about the 300ZXTT. The 4ws steering system was called HICAS, and many people complained about it making the car feel tail happy when pushed hard. It annoyed people so much that some tuners came up with kits to eliminate the four wheel steering.

As for the VR4, it did have all wheel drive, but I thought that I had read somewhere that it had four wheel steering too....but like I said, I'm not 100% positive about that one.

Edit: Ok, now I'm 100% positive...just did a quick google search and came up with this:

http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/roadt...8/article.html

 

I believe Mazda was one of the pioneers of 4 wheel steering. I remember reading something about how the front and back wheels would turn in opposite ways at low speeds for a tighter turning radius and the same way at high speeds so you don't spin out.

 

ahh you are right. i had forgotten the 3000gt had it and never knew the 300zxtt did as well. and yeah puppy1 is is a much better application in the trucks. kudos to the person who had that brainstorm.

 

The Mazda MX-6 and 626 from about 1987 to 1991 was available with 4WS.

 

damn, now i feel foolish having made that statement. so let me restate my position as it now stands: honda was only one of a handful of car makers to offer 4ws in a production vehicle in the late 80s and 90s.:p :D

 

I know that the later model Skylines have 4WS, though I am not sure if they always have...